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GAME DAY CAPSULE NO. 10 -
DENNY O'BRIEN
East Carolina vs. Louisville
Thursday, November 15, 2001
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (43,000), 7:30 PM EDT
Television: ESPN
Weather Fx: .
Pirates and Cardinals at a Glance
Conference USA commissioner Michael Slive must be a happy camper right
now. Thursday's match-up between East Carolina and Louisville will determine
at least a share of the C-USA crown, and it will happen on national
television.
The nation should be in for a pretty good show, too, as both schools
boast explosive offenses led by mature quarterbacks, both of whom have NFL
futures.
With names like Leonard Henry and Deion Branch, the game will not be
without its offensive stars, but in a game with championship caliber such as
this, the crown jewel will probably go to the team that makes the most plays
on defense.
Louisville Facts and Notes
Record: 9-1, 5-0 C-USA. Louisville has strolled through its
conferences schedule with relative ease.
Head Coach: John L. Smith. 30-14 at U of L (4th year), 101-53
overall (13th year)
Venue: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (42,000) is the league's
newest, most modern facility.
Last Week: Beat Houston, 34-10. The Cardinals sleepwalked their
way past the out-manned Cougars.
The Series: East Carolina leads, 4-2.
Last Meeting: 2000. The Pirates bolted out to a 28-10 lead,
hanging on for a 28-25 victory.
Last Bowl Game: 2000 AXA Liberty Bowl. Lost to Colorado State,
22-17.
Gameday Lee: ESPN's Lee Corso directed the Louisville program from
1969-72, before leaving for the University of Indiana. While at Louisville,
Corso accumulated an impressive 28-11-3 mark.
Football Claim to Fame: Louisville has an impressive line of
signal callers, including the Baltimore Ravens' Chris Redman, who shredded
the Pirates' defense in a game back in '98. But none are more impressive
than Johnny Unitas, who began his career at the U of L before becoming
arguably the best quarterback in NFL history.
The Breakdown
Quotes of Note: "This is the biggest game. This is what we wanted.
Thursday night, and it's coming down to Louisville and East Carolina." --
junior receiver Torey Morris on the showdown.
"It's Louisville's defense, Louisville's offense, and their special
teams. That's the issue that we're going to try to stay with. All of these
other things have come about simply from the matter of fact that we won the
games necessary leading up to this and that doesn't amount to anything right
now. As players and coaches, what we've got to do is remain on the central
issue, which is Louisville -- win the game. All the peripherals will only
matter once the final whistle is blown, and we'll either be heartbroken, or
feel pretty good." -- Logan on focusing on Louisville.
"We need to come out and give people a statement to start off, and then
end it with a statement. We've got to stop letting them come back from big
leads like that. We need to show up -- show up the whole game. I know the
guys will on Thursday." -- senior quarterback David Garrard on playing
four quarters.
"Deion Branch is a really quick, explosive guy that gets open in the zone
or man to man, it doesn't matter. He's faced it all. He's a run after the
catch guy. I'm willing to give the kid his catches, but we can't let him run
after the catch -- that's the issue to me." -- Logan on Louisville WR
Deion Branch.
Louisville Players to Watch: QB Dave Ragone (2405 passing yds), RB
Tony Stallings (464 yds), WR Deion Branch (55 receptions), WR Zek Parker (44
receptions), S Anthony Floyd (3 INT), DT Dewayne White (12 sacks).
Striking Stat: Opposing teams are finding it increasingly hard to
throw against Louisville. The Cardinals have tallied 34 sacks and 12
interceptions on the season.
When the Pirates have the ball: The Pirates will waist little time
trying to get on the board, taking their shots down field, while trying to
cut Leonard Henry loose for a few explosion plays on the ground. It's a
system that hasn't been stopped thus far, so why change now?
If the Pirates are successful on the ground, much like they have been all
year, the play-action will become a key element in offensive coordinator
Doug Martin's arsenal. H-back Richard Alston has a knack for getting behind
the defense, and was wide-open on a play against Cincinnati, but Garrard's
pass was slightly overthrown.
Expect Martin to present a diverse package to a solid Cardinal defense,
sending in plays that will involve multiple weapons. The key to the Pirates'
offensive success, though, will be Garrard's ability to check into the right
play, something he has been very good at thus far.
This offense is too good to be stopped, and though Louisville ranks
highly on defense statistically, it is hard to fathom the Cards being better
than Syracuse and Carolina on D.
Advantage: East Carolina.
When the Cardinals have the ball: Louisville's offense revolves
around quarterback Dave Ragone and his ability to make quick decisions with
the football. The Cardinals operate out of a shot-gun formation, and Ragone
will deliver the ball quickly off three-step drops.
The Cards won't run as many players out there offensively as will the
Pirates, with Branch, Parker, Ghent, and Stallings being the primary skill
people. Both Branch and Parker are dangerous in the open field, which makes
it increasingly important for the Pirate secondary to keep them in front.
The Pirates were successful against Ragone last season, creating havoc
with their stunts and blitzes. But Ragone has matured since then, and has
added muscle to his six-foot-four inch frame, without losing mobility.
The key to stopping the Louisville will be pressuring Ragone, something
the Pirates probably won't do successfully for four solid quarters.
Advantage: Louisville
Special Teams: Both the Pirates and Cardinals boast explosive
weapons in the return game, though the Pirates have made many mental
mistakes in that area over the past few weeks, narrowly avoiding disaster at
times.
ECU's Kevin Miller and U of L's Nathan Smith are both accurate kickers,
while the Pirates definitely have the advantage in the punting game, where
Jarad Preston ranks fourth nationally.
In a game that could be dictated by field position, give a slight nod to
the team with the better punting unit, which is why the Pirates won last
year's contest.
Slight Advantage: East Carolina
Coaching: Logan has the upper hand on U of L's John L. Smith when
it comes to tenure, but the fourth-year Louisville coach has built quite a
resume in the Bluegrass state.
Smith inherited a 1-10 team back in '98, and immediately took the
Cardinals bowling. U of L hasn't missed the post season since Smith arrived,
and are a virtual lock for a holiday trip this year.
Smith's teams traditionally play best down the stretch, which is a direct
reflection on him.
Advantage: Louisville
Intangibles: East Carolina is trying to get the monkey off its
back and finally claim its first C-USA title. Meanwhile, Louisville has its
sights set on avenging last season's only conference loss, which came at the
hands of the Pirates.
The home field has meant very little in this rivalry, as the visiting
team has won each battle in C-USA play.
Advantage: Even
What East Carolina must do to win:
- Blitz. The Pirates will not stop Ragone if they give him ample time to
throw. The Pirate secondary is just too vulnerable.
- Get Mental. Crucial mental mistakes, primarily in the return game,
aided both TCU and Cincinnati in their second-half comebacks. The Pirates
also can't get caught up in the moment, and must focus solely on
Louisville.
- Balance. The Pirates must find balance if they hope to crack a good
Louisville defense.
- Field position. If the Pirates own the upper hand in the field
position war, it could be a long night for Louisville.
- Home run. The Pirates need to hit the home early, and often.
What Louisville must do to win:
- Protect Ragone. If the Cardinals allow the Pirates to blitz freely,
Ragone has shown in the past he can be error prone.
- YAC. If Branch and Parker shed would-be tacklers, turning five-yard
gains into explosion plays, it will totally destroy ECU's bend-don't-break
defensive mentality.
- Mix it up . Louisville has found most of its success through the air.
Common sense tells you the Cards will have to mount at least a decent
running game to be victorious.
- Keep the ball. Cincinnati and TCU both kept the ball for the majority
of the second half against the Pirates. ECU is at its best when its
defense is not on the field.
- Avoid turnovers. Turnovers killed the Cards in last season's game.
Prediction: The Pirates are unlikely to mount a huge lead like
they did in their previous two contests. However, the Pirates might be
better prepared for a nip-and-tuck battle, which we think this one will be.
Expect a focused ECU football team, with senior leadership being the
deciding factor, ECU 27 Louisville 24.
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02/23/2007 02:05:45 AM
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